Meimi's Shadow
by Shi-Chan Meows
Summary: Saint Tail transforms and Asuka almost sees... what happens when he catches her? Will they admit their feelings? R&R! ***one-shot**


"Meimi's Shadow"  
  
By: Shi-Chan  
  
Warnings: fluff  
  
Rating: G  
  
Shi-Chan's Note: Read. Review. Tell me you think it's cool even if you don't to make me feel special. MWAHAHAHA!  
  
"One. two. three!!" Out of a puff of smoke and a cloud of confetti, Saint Tail flew away with her balloons. "Bye, Asuka Jr! Better luck next time!" She cried down at the young detective, giving him a smile.  
  
Everyday Seira left the church at 5:30 pm so the real nuns could take over where the nuns-in-training left off. Since Saint Tail's thefts always took place after dark, Asuka Jr liked to pray just beforehand. Because Seira left so early, she was never aware of his presence and henceforth, couldn't warn Meimi about it.  
  
Asuka Jr was about to enter the church to pray for his life at Saint Tail's next rendezvous, when he noticed a young girl his age run in to the alleyway behind the church. Letting his curiosity get the best of him, he followed her a little ways back, until he could see her skirt and legs. He cupped his hands over his mouth so he didn't cry out as he realized that the skirt was part of the St. Paulia Catholic School uniform. His school. "One. two. three!!" The girl cried out, causing little cherry blossoms to fly everywhere, and then he looked and saw that the skirt was different now. It was. Saint Tail's! Asuka Jr backed up against the wall as he realized that Saint Tail had turned around and seen him. 'Asuka Jr!?' Saint Tail thought to herself. 'Did he see me transform.?'  
  
The young detective stared at Saint Tail for a moment and she just returned his gaze until he finally broke the silence. "Saint Tail! Tell me who you are! I know you go to my school because I saw your uniform. Just tell me who you are." Saint Tail backed up so her face was in the shadows. She couldn't tell him who she was. He'd catch her during school and turn her in! "You. you've got to catch me if you want to know who I am. I can't tell you! You can't catch me at school! You have to catch me as Saint Tail if you ever want to find out who I am." Saint Tail trailed off and jumped back, noticing that Asuka Jr had jumped at her.  
  
"Fine!" Asuka Jr yelled at her. "Go to the Shaoyun House and prepare to take the ring! I'll be there and I won't fail to catch you. I will find out who you are." With that, the boy took off running for the Shaoyun House, leaving Saint Tail standing in the alleyway. Her surprised look slowly faded away and turned into a warm smile. "Asuka Jr. I don't want to put up this masquerade any longer... so catch me soon." She stood silent for a second, then used her magic to make her balloon appear and carry her after the detective. "Surround the whole place and guard the ring she's going for very heavily. We're going to catch Saint Tail this time, no matter what!" I want at least two guards in every room, and I want three on the roof!" Asuka Jr yelled out. "What about you, sir?" Mr. Shaoyun asked. Asuka Jr opened the door to head outside and replied, "I'm going to be outside watching for her. She's not escaping this time."  
  
Saint Tail dropped from her balloons, letting them flow over the Shaoyun house, hoping it'd trick all the guards into going after the balloon. She knew it wouldn't fool Asuka Jr, and if she was to be caught by him, she didn't want the guards there. She fell to the ground, and took in her surroundings. The guards were taking the bait because she saw a group on the roof much larger than what it was a moment ago. She grinned at their gullibility and whispered, "One, two, three!" The balloons suddenly disappeared, making even more guard go to the roof and watch for Saint Tail. She shook her head, laughing, and crouched down, crawling around the side of the building. Suddenly, she stopped, seeing Asuka Jr and a guard positioned over there. 'Crud.' She thought to herself, trying to think of something to get the guard away. "One, two, three." She said quietly, making a shadow in her shape appear over on the other side of the house. "Saint Tail! There she is!" The guard yelled, running in that direction.  
  
"No! Don't! It's a fake." Asuka Jr trailed off and shook his head. The guard had already left and gone. He turned back around and saw Saint Tail standing right in front of him, smiling. "Hello, Asuka Jr! Gonna catch me today?" She asked him. Before he could reply, Saint Tail shouted, "One, two, three!" A mask appeared over her eyes and she smiled again. "C'mon, Asuka Jr! Come and get me before I steal the ring!" She dashed off, heading into the house with Asuka Jr hot on her tail. The door slammed in his face before he could get in the house too, and when he opened it, Saint Tail was nowhere to be seen. 'The ring! She's with the ring!'  
  
Once Asuka Jr got up to the room with the ring, Saint Tail was sitting on the window sill, holding it. "You're so slow! And your guards weren't a match at all." She smiled and pointed towards the four guards, who were all tied up. Asuka Jr gritted his teeth and hit a button on the wall, making the part of the room Saint Tail was in fill up with a purplish gas. She began coughing irritably and scrambled to open the window for escape. She closed her eyes part of the way and felt around the window for a latch. Once she found it, she tried to pull it, but her hands were weak and they just fell to her sides, barely holding the ring. Finally it cleared away, and Saint Tail was only half awake, trying to figure out what to do now that Asuka Jr had her in this state. She suddenly closed her eyes and collapsed. "Saint Tail!" Asuka Jr yelled, rushing to her. 'Is she okay? Did I kill her?' He thought frantically, lifting up the girl's head. Saint Tail coughed suddenly, lifting her eyes open a little. "You caught me." She whispered, fainting again.  
  
"He caught her! Asuka Jr caught Saint Tail!" The guards yelled happily, clanking their glasses of sake together. "Take off her mask!" One told Asuka Jr. The boy slowly shook his head. "Not until she wakes up. I know how she operates." The guard gave the detective a confused look. "But she'll try to-" Asuka Jr shook his head. "She'd want me to wait until she's conscious. She'll cooperate. That's they way Saint Tail is." He smiled slightly and brushed Saint Tail's bangs from her face, making the guards snicker.  
  
An hour later, Saint Tail began to stir. "Hmm-mm." She moaned and placed a gloved hand over her forehead. "Where.?" She observed her surroundings and realized that she was lying in Asuka Jr's lap, and that all of his guards, the police, and the whole Shaoyun family were staring at her. "Konnichiwa everyone." She said happily, as if it were a common scene. "Saint Tail," Asuka Jr said, "It's time to remove your mask and let us see your face." Saint Tail smiled and stood up, motioning for Asuka Jr to do the same. "You caught me. I want you to be the one to remove my mask. I'll seem familiar to you, but you still won't recognize me, so then, pull the bow from my hair." She told him. Asuka Jr furrowed his eyebrows together a moment then nodded, slowly lifting his hands to her face. Everyone in the room watched intently as Asuka Jr pulled the mask from her face. Saint Tail smiled and opened her eyes. "Time to take out my bow." She told him.  
  
Asuka Jr nodded and walked behind Saint Tail yanked the bow from her hair, making it fall past her shoulders. She slowly turned around and beamed at Asuka Jr. "Hi!!" She said, grinning at him.  
  
"Haneoka Meimi?!" He screamed. Meimi nodded. "Hi Asuka Jr! I didn't think you'd be this surprised, I mean, you always questioned me like you suspected it the whole time. You're really surprised?" She cocked her head and stared at Asuka Jr, who was still confused. "Haneoka. I. You. Saint Tail. but. I." He gave her the evil eyes. "So all this time when I asked you questions and you told me that you're not Saint Tail and you pulled that stunt so Lina thought you were a guy and then you said that you. but you're Saint Tail." He trailed off and stared at Meimi. She smiled at him again and shouted, "One, two, three!" In a puff of smoke and confetti, she was back in her school uniform, as Haneoka Meimi. "So, what happens now? Am I gonna be arrested? Or do I have to stop being Saint Tail? Or what?" She cocked her head, looking back and forth between the police sheriff and Asuka Jr. The sheriff shrugged and looked to Asuka Jr. "What do you think?" He asked the young detective. Asuka Jr looked at Meimi a second then replied, "Haneoka, you have to stop being Saint Tail, regardless of your virtuous motives. That's all." Meimi frowned. "Well, that's not as bad as what I thought it would be, but that's still pretty bad. It was kind of fun being chased around by you endlessly, you know. I liked having my shadow being the kaitou Saint Tail."  
  
Asuka Jr blushed and said, "Well, I'd better be going, now, minna-san." Meimi smiled. "You know Asuka Jr, if I can't be Saint Tail then I can't use my magic to protect myself and it's awfully dark outside." Asuka Jr straightened up. "Well, um,"-He paused and cleared his throat-"I'll, ah, walk you home, Haneoka." Meimi smiled to herself and giggled at Asuka Jr. "Okay."  
  
As Asuka Jr and Meimi began heading towards her house, Meimi told the detective, "You know, you don't have to call me Haneoka all the time. Meimi is fine." Asuka Jr blushed again, "Ah, okay. Meimi." He stuttered. Meimi suddenly took his hand into her own. "You don't know the way to my house and since you're totally clueless, I wouldn't want to lose you." She explained. Asuka Jr gave Meimi a glare and she just smiled in reply.  
  
"Our daughter has been gone six hours and we wanted to file a report for a missing child." Eimi told the police officer that was stationed at the desk. He looked at her and her husband. "Well, has this ever happened before?" A sweatdrop formed over Eimi's head. "Uh, well, actually she goes out every night. Just. never more than two hours." A sweatdrop formed on the officer's head. "Well, what's her name?" He asked them. "Haneoka Meimi." Eimi replied. The officer stared at them a moment then said, "Well then you've got no problem. Your daughter is on her way home right now with Detective Asuka's son. Do you know why your daughter goes out every night?" Eimi and her husband shook their heads. The officer laughed and replied, "Ha! Well, you'll read about it on the front page of the newspaper tomorrow." Meimi's parents looked at each other a moment, then shrugged, heading for their car.  
  
Eimi and her husband sat at their window watching for Meimi. "Oh, there she is!" Eimi cried suddenly, and they both stood up and stared out the window.  
  
"Well, we're here." Meimi told Asuka Jr. "Yeah, well." He trailed off and blushed, realizing Meimi had just kissed his cheek. "Bye Asuka Jr!" She yelled, standing next to her door. "Wait!" Asuka cried out suddenly. Meimi turned around and looked at him questionably. "You know, Meimi, I was in love with Saint Tail." He blurted out suddenly. Meimi frowned slightly and replied, "Yeah, yeah. Then you found out that I was Saint Tail so you." She trailed off and turned back around, so Asuka Jr wouldn't see the tears beginning to well up in her eyes. "Were very happy." He finished. Meimi turned back around, taken aback. "Wha.?" Asuka Jr smiled slightly, still blushing. "Well, I was in love with Saint Tail, but during school, I loved you. So, part of me didn't want to catch Saint Tail because of you. Then, I wanted to catch you more than anything because I had gotten so close to catching you, that it sparked me. When I found out you were Saint Tail, I was speechless, because I realized that I would never have to choose one of you. The only thing is. how you feel about me." He stopped and looked Meimi straight in the eye. Meimi stood still a moment, making Asuka Jr uncomfortable, when she suddenly threw her arms around Asuka Jr. "Finally!! I never thought I'd hear you say that. You were always so obsessed with Saint Tail, never caring about anyone else, and especially not me, so sometimes. I just. hated you." She gave him another, lighter kiss, but this time on his lips. "Bye, koi! I'll see you at school tomorrow!" She yelled, dashing into her house happily.  
  
"Meimi-chan," Eimi said as her daughter entered the house, "Where've you been? We've been waiting for you for hours!" Meimi smiled and took her hat off. "I was caught! You'll read about it in the newspaper headlines tomorrow. I'm really tired so I'm gonna go get some sleep. Good night! Love you!" She yelled after herself, running for her room.  
  
Meimi's mother turned to her father. "She seemed unusually happy and bouncy. Do you think she's sick?" Mr. Haneoka laughed. "Nah. She's just taking after us. I can't wait for tomorrow's paper to come out, though!" Eimi smiled and giggled at her husband. "Me either!" (I wish my parents would deal with a situation like this in that way!! Eimi's sooo cool!)  
  
The next day at school, Meimi could feel everyone's eyes on her as she walked down the hallway. It was all over the news about Asuka Jr's big catch, and Meimi's life story was even told to emphasize on her Saint Tail adventures. To avoid everyone's snickering, Meimi and Seira decided to play as if it were any other day, and the Saint Tail thing was just the newest gossip everyone wanted to talk about.  
  
"Seira and Meimi are acting so normal!"  
  
"I bet Seira knew the whole time, or she'd be as shaken as us, ne?"  
  
"When's Asuka Jr going to get to school? He'll be late and everyone wants to ask him about Meimi."  
  
"You know, there's a rumor going around that Asuka Jr saw Saint Tail before he caught her. She was in an alleyway, transforming!"  
  
"Do you think the whole thing was a setup and he knew all along?"  
  
"Nah, he's not that smart."  
  
Meimi shook her head and smiled at Seira. "They all think I can't hear them talking about me, you, and Asuka Jr. It's strange how even some of our best friends are off in the corners of the classroom snickering about us." Seira was about to reply, when she noticed Asuka Jr walk into the classroom. She cleared her throat and motioned for Meimi to go talk to him before a mob formed. In fact, a mob was already forming, but when everyone saw the former Saint Tail walking over to them, they thinned out until only Asuka Jr was standing in front of her. "Ohayo, Meimi-chan!" Asuka Jr said, smiling at Meimi. Meimi smiled in reply and hugged the detective. "Ohayo, Asuka-chan." She said.  
  
Everyone in the classroom suddenly went silent and stared at the couple. "WHAT'S GOING ON HERE?!" A female suddenly yelled. Meimi looked up from Asuka Jr's arms, and tried to struggle away because she knew who was coming, but Asuka wouldn't let her go. "Asuka Jr! I read the newspaper! You caught Saint Tail and it was Haneoka! Then, I come in the classroom to confront you about it and you're hugging her. SAINT TAIL!!!!" Lina yelled. The whole class just sat listening to their conversation.  
  
Asuka Jr hugged Meimi closer to him and replied, "Well, Lina, after I caught Saint Tail, I decided to walk Meimi home. Once we got to her house I told her that I had been in love with Saint Tail, and when I realized she was Saint Tail I was happy, because I loved Meimi too. Meimi-chan told me that she felt the same way, and now we're a couple." Lina gritted her teeth and prepared to respond, but an elderly female voice cut her off. "Ah, very touching story class, but we need to begin and stop conversing about the Saint Tail thing. It is getting quite annoying." Everyone said, "Yes, sister." Except Asuka Jr and Meimi, who were too busy blushing.  
  
About three fourths of the way into class, Asuka Jr felt a note hit his head. He opened it up frantically, hoping it was from his Meimi, but unfortunately, he found it was from Lina.  
  
'Meet me under the sakura trees at lunch. We need to speak. ~Lina'  
  
Asuka Jr rolled his eyes and threw the paper back at Lina, making her angry. She had been watching Meimi and Asuka Jr glancing and blushing and smiling back and forth all period and it was making her sick. She crumpled up the note in her hand and felt her face turn red out of anger.  
  
"Lina, are you sick?" Came a voice suddenly, butting into Lina's thoughts. Lina looked up to see the sister at her desk. "Oh, ah, yes. I've got a headache suddenly. May I be excused?" She quickly gave a silent prayer to god, asking for forgiveness for the lie she just told to the sister. "Yes. Go down to the nurse and call your parents to come pick you up." The sister replied, continuing on with the lesson.  
  
At lunch, Seira went and sat with a group of other friends, sensing that Asuka Jr and Meimi wanted to have some alone time together. "So. what did your parents say when they found out that you were Saint Tail?" Asuka Jr asked his koi, trying to make conversation. Meimi smiled. "Well, daddy got a big sweatdrop and mommy hugged me and said I'm just like her when she was little girl and she went on and on about how proud she was of me." Asuka Jr stared at Meimi in shock. "Geez, my dad would've grounded me for life and then some." Meimi giggled and pulled out her lunch, saying to Asuka Jr: "We should probably eat before the period ends, Asuka-chan." Asuka Jr nodded and reached into his bag, then suddenly fell over. "Asuka Jr? Daijobu?" Meimi asked, turning over on the ground so she could face him. "I forgot my lunch at home in all of the confusion from last night!!" Asuka Jr cried, slamming his fist into the dirt and grass. Meimi grinned and pulled another lunch bag out of her backpack. "I figured you would, so I brought this for you." Asuka Jr blushed. "Ah, a-arigato, Meimi-chan." He stuttered. Meimi grinned again and leaned her head against his shoulder. "You're welcome, Asuka-chan."  
  
The bell rang, signaling for Asuka Jr to get off to math class, and Meimi to go to home economics. As the couple walked up the steps to go back into the building, Asuka Jr asked, "So. ah, Meimi, do you wanna go somewhere later? Like the park or something?" Meimi giggled and hugged Asuka Jr. "Sure."  
  
The End. 


End file.
